Superb (but for a technicality) film about a promising teenager confined to prison
Monster
Director: Anthony Mandler Stars: Kelvin Harrison Jr, Jennifer Hudson ★★★☆☆
There is a really good movie in Monster. Former music video and commercial director Anthony Mandler’s debut feature film tells the story of Steve Harmon (Kelvin Harrison Jr), a 17-year-old student who is showing tremendous promise as a filmmaker. When Monster opens, though, he has just been arrested for his alleged involvement in the murder of a shopkeeper.
Unsurprisingly, Steve struggles in prison, and as he prepares for his trial alongside his lawyer, Katherine O’Brien (Jennifer Ehle), we see his vivacious personality crumble, replaced by anxiety. All the while, the film dives into Steve’s backstory, focusing on his relationship with his parents, his various friends and enemies in Harlem and his camaraderie with his film teacher, Leroy Sawicki (Tim Blake Nelson).
Monster’s story structure and characteristion is handled rather nicely. You get a genuine sense of each character and you’re never lost, either emotionally or with the plot itself. Unfortunately, though, the manner in which it connects its non-linear narrative proves to be the film’s downfall.
Mandler and his team of writers – Radha Blank, Cole Wiley and Janice Shaffer – use an infuriating style of voiceover, which has Steve telling his story to the audience as if he was a screenwriter. While this was an integral part of Walter Dean Myers’ 1999 book on which Monster is based, as a filmmaking technique it feels at odds with the highly dramatic plot of a teenager falling apart in prison. So much so that it completely takes the viewer out of the movie.
It’s to Monster’s credit, then, that come the end of its rather lean 98 minutes, you’ve managed to reinvest in Steve’s plight. That’s almost entirely down to Harrison Jr’s stunning portrayal. There is a sincerity, poignancy and depth to him, and you get a sense of the growing terror that is flowing through his veins as he faces up to 20 years in prison.
Harrison is not alone in propping up Monster with his performance. Jeffrey Wright and Jennifer Hudson are effective as Steve’s distressed and guilt-ridden parents, Blake Nelson is solid as his likeable teacher, while John David Washington’s brief turn as a ne’er-do-well is particularly eye-catching, too.
Monster does manage to find a nice rhythm in its final act. Its last courtroom scene is handled in a creative and captivating fashion, while there is a nuance to each of its characters that makes them feel relatable. But all this does is make it all the more frustrating that one stylistic choice holds Monster back from reaching its full potential.
‘Monster’ manages to find a nice rhythm in its final act, which is creative and captivating